With all the other parts I have heard people talk about and how long or short their lifespan is (the parts that is), I have not heard much about brakes.

What kind of miles have people gotten on the stock pads? I have 22K and they still seem to be fine, they still throw off large amounts of dust (I have a habit of going from 80 to 3 mph on the LA Freeways) with no squeak and no fade.

Any guidance on when people are finding they need to change and any recommendations on what kind of pads are best for replacement?

Thank you for your inputs in advance.

livingthedream
turn the key and smile

lunarx

01-04-07, 10:04 PM

At 13K I still had plenty of meat on my pads but the rotors had a lot of wear.
I barely had enough material left on the rotor to allow a turning.
I imagine if I waited untill the stock pads wore out, I would have needed new rotors.

For the new pads I did Endless SS-M.
F: EP 357 SSM
R: EP 958 SSM

They Rock!
They are literally almost Zero dust.
That was their design goal, as was zero noise and good performance.
They exceeded my expectations on all levels.

I have used a lot of pads on previous cars (HP-S, Bobcat, R4-S) and these are unbeatable for street use.
The combination of low dust, quietness & performance is unrivaled.
It's exactly what the V deserves to have.

Pics after 6 days of driving, to give you an idea on the dusting:

Fronts w/ Endless SSM
vs.
Rear w/ Stock Pads

I only changed front pads so far, but this weekend I am installing the rears.

It's amazing, considering, fronts usually dust much more than rears.

joshdctsv

01-04-07, 10:13 PM

I got a little over 30k with stock. Put on HP-S and am not happy with their squeeling when breaking at slow speeds.

TNT V

01-05-07, 09:26 AM

Replaced stock pads at 58,000 with HP-S. Fronts were a day from being totally gone and rears had a third left on them. No noise from the new pads now. There was a little at first.

tweeter81

01-05-07, 12:13 PM

lunarx,

Would the Endless SS-M pads work good for a combination of street and light track use (maybe 10 track days per season)? :D Sorry about the mild threadjack.

lunarx

01-05-07, 01:07 PM

lunarx,

Would the Endless SS-M pads work good for a combination of street and light track use (maybe 10 track days per season)?
Possibly, if you can be gentle on your brakes at the track.
SS-M is an incredible street pad, but only rated for 0-985 deg F.
However, if you do 10 events a year (which is a lot) you probably need a more serious pad.

Endless CC-X is the pad designed for street/track use.
120-1292 deg F with track pad friction level.
They are more of a track pad that is streetable.
I heard they can squeek a little but they are still supposed to be one of the lowest dusting track capable pads.

I was going to get them myself, but I wanted to see what the zero dust & noise SS-M was like.
Therefore, if you want to try the CC-X, PM me as, I will contribute some $$ provided you give us a review after you get them.
I just want to make them a competitive cost option to you vs. the other cheap stuff out there.
More importantly, I want to know what I missed out on.

lawfive

01-05-07, 03:49 PM

I haven't given 'em enough time to find out. Replaced stock pads with Hawk HPS at around 18K; still lots of meat on the stock pads and rotors.

Replaced HPS pads with Hawk ceramics at around 37K; HPS still had a lot of meat but the rotors were shot (and seriously grooved!), so replaced the stock rotors with the GM cross-drilled bling.

I got a little over 30k with stock. Put on HP-S and am not happy with their squeeling when breaking at slow speeds.

Did you turn the rotors and grease the back of the pads? I didn't when I first put the HPS pads on, and I experienced the same low speed sqeaking.

hurley64

01-05-07, 04:16 PM

What do the drilled rotors cost vs. standard? Best place to buy either Endless or Hawk pads?

John

lunarx

01-05-07, 04:49 PM

What do the drilled rotors cost vs. standard? Best place to buy either Endless or Hawk pads?

John
Best place to buy Hawk?
I hear Lindsay sells them.
Also, Porterfield sells Hawk
http://www.porterfield-brakes.com/hawk.html

Best Place to buy Endless?
Direct from Endless USA.
http://www.endlessusa.com/
Ask for Kent Chen

You can save a few bucks buying Endless from a reseller.
However, I found it's not worth the headache of dealing with all the reseller BS, for a product that has to be air shipped from Japan.
Endless USA will get the pads drop shipped right to your door and very quickly (about 1 week).

tweeter81

01-05-07, 08:59 PM

Thanks for the info lunarx, I will see how my pads are holding up after about 3 track days in Vegas in April '07 (20,000 miles so far on stock pads and rotors), and then I might just try the Endless pads. They sound like a great company.

dvandentop

01-05-07, 09:35 PM

how much do the cc-x pads run usually?

lunarx

01-05-07, 10:07 PM

For the Endless SS-M, I paid: Front $230 & Rear $280.
I pretty much paid list price.
Unfortunately, the rears are a limited production shape which is why they cost so much more than the fronts.
Air shipping from Japan was about $12 per set.
I bought them seperatly, so buying together may reduce shipping costs.

Having used cheaper pads before, I can honestly say, I am glad I stepped up to these pads.
They are worth every penny. :thumbsup:

My offer is now extended to you.
If you want to try the CC-X and will write a review, I will kick some $$ your way to ease the purchase process.
I am dying to get the difinitive awnser if the CC-X is indeed a streetable track pad. :bouncy:
Nobody denys CC-X can hang on the track, its just that I got mixed reviews on noise and dust which made me choose the SS-M instead.

dvandentop

01-05-07, 10:12 PM

shoot i wish i could remember the name of the ones i was going to put on my vette for road racing. they were a real popular brand and not too expensive.

I know the Hawk HP Plus is alright for street track but not as good as mentioned above i am sure.

dvandentop

01-05-07, 10:17 PM

ahh nevermind carbotech is the name i was thinking of

joshdctsv

01-05-07, 10:47 PM

Did you turn the rotors and grease the back of the pads? I didn't when I first put the HPS pads on, and I experienced the same low speed sqeaking.

Nah, I wussed out and paid someone to do it. I doubt they did this. Is it something I can easily do myself?

dvandentop

01-06-07, 01:45 AM

pads on the v should be a real easy swap

lunarx

01-06-07, 03:52 AM

Yes, V Pads are easy to do.
However, I never use grease or anti-squeel goop.
I hate that messy junk.

I did reuse the factory shims, after I cleaned all the old goop off of them.
Brakes are 100% silent with no goop or grease.
The shims should be all you need to stop noise.
Did your mechanic reuse the factory shims?

trekster

01-09-07, 03:03 PM

I'm going to need some rear brake pads and i'm going to invest on ssms. I might as well just buy the set.

lunarx

01-09-07, 07:10 PM

I'm going to need some rear brake pads and i'm going to invest on ssms. I might as well just buy the set.
SS-M pads, Good Choice. :thumbsup:
You will love them.
If you want help with the install let me know, I just did mine.

nspharmd

05-19-07, 01:51 AM

Damn went to the Endless webiste and its down for reconstruction. After hearing your review lunarx, I decided that I need to try them out. I just emailed them to see if they can send them to me

dqw1

05-19-07, 02:38 AM

My rotors were gone at 36k so I replaced the stock pads with Hawks HPS. I never had any noise from the Hawks at all. Best part is not having to deal with brake dust they stockers came equipped with. I also bought the drilled rotors from Lindsay.

atdeneve

05-19-07, 02:54 PM

Damn went to the Endless webiste and its down for reconstruction. After hearing your review lunarx, I decided that I need to try them out. I just emailed them to see if they can send them to me

Their sites been down for months. I don't think they even maintain/update the site.

lunarx

05-20-07, 01:17 AM

Damn went to the Endless webiste and its down for reconstruction. After hearing your review lunarx, I decided that I need to try them out. I just emailed them to see if they can send them to me
Their Japan site is good
http://www.endless-sport.co.jp/brake_pad/index.html

but the English Version of it has issues with pictures
http://www.endless-sport.co.jp/english/eindex.html

As for the SS-M Pads,
Fronts are completely dust free, it's unbelievable.:highfive:
For some reason, my rear wheels do get minor dusting.
It's wayyy less than stock though.
It could just be an airflow issue in that road and brake dust collect on the rear wheels where the fronts get any dust to blow off before it can settle. :confused:
I wonder if my leaking rear diff has anything to do with this too.

In any case, the braking performance is amazing.

Since the SS-M rear pads are so expensive ($280) you might consider the Akebono Rear pads.
http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brakes.jsp?&make=Akebono&model=Euro+Ceramic+Pads&group=Euro+Ceramic+Pads&autoMake=Cadillac&autoModel=CTS-V&autoYear=2004&autoModClar=&perfCode=P

http://www.akebonobrakes.com/aftermarket/euro/index.html

They are very low dust and perform good too.
I have a set on my Odyssey and it actually stops real good now and the aftermarket wheels, I have on it, stay nice and clean too.
Akebono are one of my 2nd favorite street pads after Endless SS-M.
(Yes, I tried Hawk HPS but consider them to be middle of road in regards to dust and performance)

To save some money try Endless SS-M front $230
w/ Akebono Rear $95

The fronts are definetly worth it, as I have never used a better street pad, ever.
However, you should be able to achieve similar results in the rear with Akebono.
Naturally, if cost is no object, SS-M all around (as I did) is a very nice setup.

nspharmd

05-20-07, 10:02 PM

Any idea on where I can get these since their site is down? What sizes do I need.

CTS-V420

05-20-07, 10:07 PM

my brakes just wore at 36k... Just replaced them with stockers...it was liek 480 installed...harsh but easy

lunarx

05-20-07, 10:55 PM

Any idea on where I can get these since their site is down? What sizes do I need.
EP 357 SSM is the Front Part number.
Same front pad as STI, EVO, 350Z etc., w/ Factory Brembo.
SS-M compound is not stocked in US but these guys can special order it for you.
http://www.racecompengineering.com/

They got me mine.
Kelly has the most direct experience with those pads as she ran them on her car before.
However, Miles can hook you up also.

It's best to work the deal from both ends.
Let Kent at Endless (http://endlessusa.com/) know you want the SS-M pads and then call Kelly/Miles (http://www.racecompengineering.com/) to order them.
Make sure you ask Kent to call Kelly/Miles too, so they will know Kent has the pads ready to ship from Japan.

As for the rears, they are a rare Lotus/Viper Caliper, so the price is higher, because of limited supply.
Part number is EP 958 SSM
Therefore, I suggested an optional substitute (Akebono (http://www.akebonobrakes.com/aftermarket/euro/index.html)) for the rear which is available from Tire Rack (http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brakes.jsp?&make=Akebono&model=Euro+Ceramic+Pads&group=Euro+Ceramic+Pads&autoMake=Cadillac&autoModel=CTS-V&autoYear=2004&autoModClar=&perfCode=P).
Again, that's only if money is a concern, as SS-M all around is as low dusting as it gets.
Cool thing is they are still a high performance pad which makes them very unique.

Feel free to email me (Vstuff@eluna.info)if you want to talk more before pulling the trigger.

nspharmd

05-21-07, 12:35 AM

:thumbsup:

Thanks alot lunarx. I really appreciate it. I'm going to call them tomorrow and see what's what. I'll let you know if I have any questions. Hopefully soon my dust problems will be gone!

:worship:

nspharmd

05-22-07, 12:59 AM

ordered them this morning and they are on the way!!:)

lunarx

05-22-07, 03:59 AM

If you are not getting new rotors, I recommend getting your rotors turned.
You will want a clean smooth surface for these pads to bed in on.
The compound is very different from stock (non metalic), so it's best to get all the stock deposits turned off the rotor.
Naturally, best stopping power will be achieved with proper bedding.